Jammu

Security agencies detected suspected drone activity along multiple forward locations on the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts on Sunday evening, officials said.

The unidentified aerial objects were observed entering Indian airspace from across the Pakistan side and returning after hovering briefly over border areas, they added.

Following the sightings, ground-level search operations were launched by security forces in the affected forward zones to rule out the possibility of arms or contraband drops.

In Rajouri district, Army personnel stationed in the Nowshera sector along the LoC opened fire with light and medium machine guns after spotting a drone movement over the Gania-Kalsian village area around 6.35 pm, officials said.

At around the same time, another drone-like object with a blinking light was noticed over Khabbar village in the Teryath area of Rajouri. Officials said the object appeared to have entered from the Dharmsal side of Kalakote and moved further towards Bharakh before disappearing.

In Samba district, residents and security personnel reported seeing a similar flying object hovering for several minutes over Chak Babral village in the Ramgarh sector at approximately 7.15 pm.

Another suspected drone was also observed moving from the Tain area towards Topa in the Mankote sector along the LoC in Poonch district at around 6.25 pm, officials said.

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The incidents come days after security forces recovered a cache of arms believed to have been dropped by a Pakistan-origin drone in Paloora village of Ghagwal area near the IB in Samba district on Friday night. The seized material included two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds of ammunition and a grenade, officials added.